The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it received 12 additional applications from associations seeking to be registered as political parties.
This development follows the earlier disclosure on June 23 that a total of 110 associations had submitted letters of intent to become political parties.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, revealed that the details of the new applications — including names of the associations, their acronyms, addresses, and interim leadership — have been made publicly available.
“The Commission is processing these applications transparently and in fairness to all applicants,” the statement reads.
Olumekun further disclosed that the commission had observed changes in leadership within some applying associations.
“However, the Commission notes that one association has already changed its interim secretary as a result of defection to another association.”
He urged all applicant groups to maintain consistency in their submissions to avoid delays in the evaluation process.
“To facilitate the consideration of these applications, the Commission appeals to associations to maintain consistency of their proposed leadership and addresses so that they do not by their own actions cause a delay to the timely consideration of their applications.”
Additionally, Olumekun announced the release of supplementary regulations and guidelines for reviewing election results, as provided under Section 65 of the Electoral Act 2022.
“There have been many interpretations of Section 65 of the Electoral Act, making it necessary for the Commission to use its powers under the law to issue Regulations, Guidelines or Manuals for the purpose of giving effect to the provisions of the Act and for its administration,” he said.
“Clear procedure and timelines have now been provided, the details of which are contained in Supplementary No.1 to the main Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections 2022.”
He confirmed that the supplementary regulations have been uploaded to the INEC website and other platforms for public access.
